Declare/Change Major/Minor

To declare your major and minor, please complete the appropriate Major/Minor Declaration Form and submit it to the Registrar’s Office.

When completing the form, please make sure to indicate the division of the major(s) and to obtain approval signatures from a faculty advisor in each major field and also from the department chair for each minor. Please note that the faculty advisor for your graduation major will become your primary academic advisor, and you will need his/her approval to register for classes after declaring the major.

You may change or add majors and minors at any time provided that your program continues to meet the college requirements (see below). To change your major or add an additional major to your program after initially declaring your major, please use the Change of Major Form. To change or add a minor, use the Change of Minor Form.

When you need to Declare

Students are required to declare a major and minor no later than the semester after they have earned a total of 48 credit hours. In practice, this means that most students will need to declare a major and minor no later than the middle of the second semester of the sophomore year to be allowed to preregister for classes the following Fall. Students who enter with credits from AP exams, college work in high school, etc. may need to declare a major and minor earlier in their academic careers.

Requirements for the Major and Minor if you started in Fall 2022 or later

Students must initially declare at least one major (the “graduation major”) and either a minor (“the graduation minor”) or a second major. The graduation minor or second major must be in a different area of study* from the graduation major. Students may declare one or two majors and one or two minors. Double-counting of courses between major(s) and minor(s) is permitted.

Students beginning their studies in Fall 2016 or later must complete one course (four credits) in each of the following Distribution Requirement categories:

  • CL Civic Learning
  • HE Human Experience
  • IP International and Intercultural Perspectives
  • ME Modes of Expression
  • PD Power, Privilege, and Difference
  • QR Quantitative Reasoning
  • SB Social Behavior and Institutions
  • SP Scientific Process and Knowledge

Courses can “double count” for these requirements, and many courses will satisfy two of the eight requirements. When taken in the appropriate department, courses may also “double count” toward both the Distribution Requirements and the student’s major or minor. These courses must be taken for a grade (and so not “credit/no credit”) in order to count for distribution. Please see here for more details.

*The academic areas of study of the college are Interdisciplinary Studies; Language, Literature, and Culture; Mathematics and Natural Sciences; Social and Behavioral Science; Values and Society; and Visual and Performing Arts. Please consult the appropriate Allegheny Academic Bulletin to determine the area of study of a particular major or minor.

Requirements for the Major and Minor if you started in Fall 2016 through Spring 2022

Students must initially declare at least one major (the “graduation major”) and either a minor (“the graduation minor”) or a second major. The graduation minor or second major must be in a different division** from the graduation major. Students may declare one or two majors and one or two minors. Double-counting of courses between major(s) and minor(s) is permitted.

Students beginning their studies in Fall 2016 or later must complete one course (four credits) in each of the following categories:

  • CL Civic Learning
  • HE Human Experience
  • IP International and Intercultural Perspectives
  • ME Modes of Expression
  • PD Power, Privilege, and Difference
  • QR Quantitative Reasoning
  • SB Social Behavior and Institutions
  • SP Scientific Process and Knowledge

Courses can “double count” for these requirements, and many courses will satisfy two of the eight requirements. When taken in the appropriate department, courses may also “double count” toward both the Distribution Requirements and the student’s major or minor. These courses must be taken for a grade (and so not “credit/no credit”) in order to count for distribution. Please see here for more details.

**The academic divisions of the college are Humanities, Natural Science, Social Science, and Interdivisional. Please consult the appropriate Allegheny Academic Bulletin to determine the division of a particular major or minor.